The plant will likely employ 600 people, the newspaper reported, citing Mario Hernandez, president of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation.

Maruchan, which makes 4 billion packages of ramen noodle soup a year, is expanding capacity to meet sales growth, not to shift production from other facilities, Maruchan Vice President of Sales and Marketing Rick Kester told the Register. The company has two factories in Irvine and one in Richmond, Va., which are near capacity.

The company plans to open the Texas factory in the first quarter of 2014, “at about the same time capacity would become an issue for the existing plants," Kester told the Register.

Kester said the company decided on a Texas plant instead of expanding in Irvine because Texas freight rates were very favorable.

Hernandez said Maruchan will spend $330 million on the Texas factory, which will be built on 60 acres of the Medio Creek Business Park, just outside of San Antonio. Hernandez said Maruchan will save about $1.82 million in property tax a year, being outside city limits.

Maruchan, which is owned by Tokyo-based Toyo Suisan, opened its first ramen plant in Irvine in 1977.